


It might be the end but it's our beginning (Invader Zim AU)

by CommandBlockGuru, Sleepy_Niko



Series: Invader Zim AUs [2]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: M/M, Post-Apocalypse, invader zim - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28691211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommandBlockGuru/pseuds/CommandBlockGuru, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_Niko/pseuds/Sleepy_Niko
Summary: Another IZ AU but this time it's apocalyptic :)Dib is trying his best to live with his family, which is falling apart. But when he finds Zim who had started the apocalypse, his father still does not believe that Zim is an alien and Dib leaves their home.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim), ZaDr - Relationship
Series: Invader Zim AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103486
Comments: 17
Kudos: 49





	1. It's only the beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm Niko's editor and I'm gonna make his life a living Hell ;) -CommandBlock

Dib gasped, closing the decontamination breach as he took his mask off. The metal door in front of him slid open, the fluorescent lighting of his father’s lab almost blinding him. 

“I’m back,” Dib said to no one in particular, throwing his mask onto a hook right inside the door. Gaz, his sister, looked up from her video game. A cord connected to the back of her head, her bright purple hair tied up in a bun. Dib looked up as his father walked in from a backroom full of their supplies, his arms raised in greeting.

“Son! Welcome back!” Professor Membrane said, his long lab coat spattered with god knows what. “Did you get the samples?” Dib simply nodded and took his bag off, his father walking over as Dib pulled out a tablet and a few bottles of pond water. 

“I still don’t get the point of this,” Dib said, looking away as his father looked through the tablet and examined the pond water. “Most of human life is dead, me and Gaz have seen kids dead on the streets and-” His father cut him off, completely ignoring his concerns and praising him for the things Dib brought from outside. 

“Excellent work son!” His father said, walking back through their storage room and into a lab on the other side. “I will be in my lab testing!” The door of the lab slid shut and Dib was silent, frustrated by his fathers’ lack of concern about everyone else but him and Gaz.

“He’s not going to listen to you” Gaz muttered from her charging spot. “You tried telling him about Zim and he didn’t listen, look where that brought us.” She gestured around dramatically. Dib rolled his eyes, of course, Gaz was giving up. His father was bent on returning the world to what it was, but it was destroyed. The pond water that he collected had burned his hands and he couldn’t breathe without a gas mask up on the surface. 

“You’re lucky you don’t have to wear a mask up there,” Dib said and Gaz rolled her eyes, glancing at him from her game. 

“I lose charge faster than normal though, I’m not that special don’t worry,” Gaz said. That was true, the first time Gaz had gone to go get samples for their father she didn’t come back and Dib had to go get her, dragging her lifeless body back to the house. 

Dib sighed, Gaz going back to her game. There was nothing to do when he was down in the little room that they claimed as home base. There were some books and Gaz’s video game console, but no TV. All the internet vanished almost instantly after Zim had poisoned the air. The little green alien had found out about poison gas and used it to his advantage, most humans dying off instantly. For some reason though, Zim was still on Earth. During Dib’s little expositions, he had tried many times to get inside Zim’s base but the gnomes outside the alien’s house were still activated. 

“Hey.” Dib looked up, Gaz standing and leaning against the wall now. She pulled the plug from the back of her head and frowned. “Do you think Bloaty’s Pizza still has pizza left in it?” Dib blinked, a bit confused. 

“You want to eat that stuff after it’s been in poisoned air?” He asked, a bit disgusted. Gaz shrugged.

“Why not? It can’t affect me” She said with a grin. “Besides, it beats just staying in here.” She put her game in a bag by her charging spot and slung the bag over her shoulder. 

Dib shrugged and grabbed his mask, strapping it back on and going inside the decontamination chamber. Gaz followed him, the door sibling shut behind the two of them. “You think dad will be mad that we left?” Dib asked, glancing at his sister as the door opened in front of them.

Gaz looked over and grinned, “Nah,” She said and they set out into the ruins of their old home. 


	2. An unexpected visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> o3o/\ oh boy

Dib walked beside his friend, Zim. They had become friends after they made a truce, Dib stopping his rants to his father and his class at school about Zim being an alien and Zim temporarily stopping his attempts of taking over the world until Dib ceased his existence. They were walking Zim’s hyper robot, GIR when Zim asked a question. 

“You humans have wars.” Zim had stated, looking at Dib. “Why? Why not advance in technology and resources so your pathetic race can do something better than sitting on this disgusting planet?” Dib had forgotten to mention, in their truce, to stop bad-mouthing humans. 

“Well...I don’t know.” Dib said with a shrug. “Humans are just greedy I guess, we have wars to get more land and power,” Dib remembered their teacher talking about the wars of the past in class that day. “Why do you ask?”

“In Zim’s wonderful race, we give power to the Tallest and they give orders. There are no wars.” Zim said. “Teacher, Ms. Bitters mentioned a war in which they used gas to kill off their own kind.” Zim frowned, seeming to think. “That’s dumb.” 

“Don’t go breaking our truce just because of something an old lady said” Dib had joked, playfully nudging Zim.

“Of course not! I, the Great Invader Zim, am an Irken of my word.” Zim said and smiled, showing off his sharp teeth. 

____

“Dib,” Gaz said, looking back at his brother who had stopped in front of a house. “Bloaty’s is up there- Why did you stop?” Dib blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts. 

“Sorry, Gaz. I thought I saw something…” Dib said, still looking up at the apartment complex he had stopped in front of. He could have sworn he saw a flash of blue light up in one of the windows. He looked at his sister who looked impatient. 

“Come on, we’re almost there,” Gaz grumbled, walking towards her beloved pizza restaurant. The sun was going down as Dib trudged after her, the melting colors of the sun seeming more bright than they used to before everyone died. “I wanna see if they have the costume there still too.”

“Ew, you’re not going to wear it, are you?” Dib asked, catching up to her. Gaz grinned.

“Maybe I’ll force you into it.” She said and Dib stepped away from her. She laughed, Dib smiling. It had been a while since they had just hung out. Their father always had one of them go on missions, then made them rest up for the next day of helping him test samples. Gaz pushed open the doors of the pizza place, the smell inside was horrible. 

“I’d rather breathe the air out there than in here, it’s disgusting,” Dib said and Gaz laughed, poking around at the pizza boxes. “If there is any food left here I’m sure it’s gone bad by now.” 

“Probably,” Gaz said, looking disappointed at all the empty boxes. “I’m going to look in the back,” Gaz said, hopping over the counter and disappearing into the kitchen. There was a crash outside the pizza restaurant and Dib turned around quickly, grabbing for the pocket knife he kept in his sweatshirt pocket. 

GIR, Zim’s robot was toddling around an alley across the street, trash cans scattered around the thing. A clawed hand grabbed for the robot from behind a recycling bin. Zim. 

“Gaz!” Dib called, running past the tables and half tripping over the counter. “Gaz we need to leave. Now!” Gaz looked up at him from a slice of pizza, Dib recoiling in disgust. 

“What?” She said, throwing the pizza back into the open freezer. “What happened?” 

“I saw Zim- We need to get back to the house,” Dib said and Gaz looked surprised, Dib grabbing her arm and dragging her to the back door of the pizza place. “What if he wants to kill us? What do we do-” Dib stopped mid-sentence as he opened the door, Zim standing right there in front of them. 

He looked the same as before, green, creepy. But something was different, he looked tired. Zim had once told Dib that Irkens were never tired and that their PAKs took care of everything. Then why did Zim look so worn out? “Zim needs the Dib-thing’s help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Zim :)  
>  My gosh- he pops up out of nowhere sometimes


	3. Leaving

  
  


Dib stared blankly at Zim for a moment, absolutely confused. “I’m sorry,  _ what _ ?” Gaz said, answering for Dib. “You fucking destroyed Earth and now you need our  _ help _ ?” Gaz looked enraged, the power veins from under her plastic-like skin glowing a vibrant purple. Zim looked a bit taken aback as if he didn’t know Gaz could do that then looked at Dib.

“Don’t look at me. You- You betrayed me, Zim. I thought...I thought we were friends!” Dib said, starting to get angry as well. 

“Yes, yes. Well now Zim’s PAK isn’t working properly.” Zim said, frowning. GIR was eating trash from the trash cans around the back alley of the pizza shop. “Zim is becoming like your filthy species. So disgustingly mortal-”

“Shut up Zim! We aren’t helping you.” Gaz spat, her veins glowing in the dark as the moon rose above them. “You have no right to come to us about dying after you killed everyone else!” 

“Wait,” Dib said, looking at Zim. “Dad still thinks it’s a natural event- Gaz, we can show him! I could prove him wrong and finally, he’ll understand all those things I said when we were kids!” Gaz crossed her arms, glaring at Zim. 

“Seriously, Dib?” She said, the glow of power coming from her starting to fade. “What if he just wants to kill us? We don’t have all the resources in the world and you and Dad will die when we run out. Having him around will-”

“Zim does not need to eat nor drink your filthy earth food,” Zim said and Gaz glared at him. “Zim’s PAK keeps him alive but the power is draining because there is no more power around for it to charge.” 

“Sucks for you,” Gaz said and Zim growled. GIR yelled something about tacos as the little robot ran over to them. “We are not helping you.”

“But Gaz!” Dib said, trying to convince his sister. “Dad can finally see the truth! Maybe he can figure out how to fix everything!” 

“But that won’t bring anyone else back, Dib! Everyone is gone!” Gaz yelled, glaring between him and Zim. She sighed at Zim’s spooked face and Dib’s hurt look. “You can bring him, fine, whatever- But one wrong move then he leaves.” Gaz turned and stopped off, ignoring GIR who was holding up an old coffee strainer with dirt in it and claiming it was a taco.

Dib was silent, staring at Zim for a moment. “Why did you do it, Zim?” He asked, his voice quiet and muffled from the mask. Zim said nothing, his crappy contacts staring at Dib. “I thought you changed.” Dib walked off too, almost feeling Zim’s stare as he followed Gaz. 

____

“We’re back!” Gaz yelled, stepping out of the decontamination room. There was no sound from the lab, no recognition of their existence. “Nice to know he missed us…” She flopped down onto the little chair near her charging station and plugged the cord into the back of her head.

“This place is very clean” Zim commented as he walked in, looking around. Dib rolled his eyes and walked to the storage room, pulling a box of cookies down from a shelf. GIR immediately toddled over and tried grabbing for it but Dib kept it out of the robot’s reach. 

“Well, no one made it for you.” Gaz retorted to Zim’s comment. “Can I have one?” Gaz looked up at Dib, already playing a game on her Game Slave. Dib nodded and gave her one, watching as she just stuffed the whole thing in her mouth.

“What happened to conserving resources?” Dib asked sarcastically, flopping down on the couch that they had in the room. Gaz rolled her eyes and ignored him, going back to her game. GIR jumped up and down, reaching for the cookies. “Do you want one?” Dib asked and smiled as GIR nodded his head excitedly. “What’s the magic word?” 

“TACO!” GIR screeched, Dib flinching at the volume. Dib handed a cookie to GIR, making a note of it not being a taco. Zim was still standing in the doorway of the contamination breach, gazing at the cookies. 

Dib glanced at Zim and sighed. “Do you want one?” He asked and Zim seemed to perk up slightly.

“He doesn’t need one,” Gaz said bitterly and Zim looked down, reclining Dib’s offer immediately. “Remember, Dib? You hated him at one point. Why do you care?”

Dib looked annoyed, putting the cookies down on the coffee table. “Gaz, he’s the first living thing that we’ve seen in four and a half months,” Dib said. “Sorry for feeling a bit relieved we aren't the only ones alive. Alien or not.” Truth was, Dib still half-believed that Zim’s leaders made him do it, then stranded him there. 

Gaz rolled her eyes, going back to ignoring them. Dib stood and walked over to Zim, giving him a cookie. “Oh, children!” Dib spun around, Gaz looking up from her game. The door to the lab opened and Professor Membrane stepped out, freezing as he spotted Zim. “Is that your little green foreign friend?” 

“Um- About that-'' Dib said, taking his gas mask from around his neck and standing up to face his father. “He isn’t a foreign ‘friend’, Dad.” Professor Membrane’s face darkened slightly.

“The Dib is right.” Zim said and Dib looked at him, “Zim was….er- homeschooled! So I was never at Skool, and everyone thought Zim was foreign…” Zim smiled, Dib’s face falling. 

“Of course!” Professor Membrane said, putting a hand on Dib’s shoulder. “Thank you for wanting to tell me, son,” Dib growled in frustration, smacking his father’s hand away. 

“He is an alien! He caused this whole thing! It’s his fault!” Dib yelled and Zim flinched. “Are you that dumb, Dad!?” His father looked down at him, looking disappointed. 

“I will be in my lab.” Professor Membrane said, turning around and walking into his lab. “Come call me when you're ready to learn about real science, son” 

Dib glared at Zim, shoving his gas mask back on and heading to the decontamination chamber. “I’m leaving,” Dib said, grabbing his bag and the rest of the cookies. “See you, Gaz.” And with that he left, the metal doors sliding shut behind him as he walked out of the chamber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o-o oh boy-


	4. New friend

Dib smiled at Zim, high in the air on a Ferris wheel. It was a month before summer ended and they’d have to go back to school. Dib had saved up enough allowance to get him, Zim, and Gaz tickets to go to an amusement park outside of town. “I don’t see the need for such a thing,” Zim said, looking down from their spot on the top of the Ferris wheel. “It doesn’t go fast or serve any purpose at all, it’s dumb.” 

“It’s just supposed to be nice,” Dib said, Zim scrunching his face up in confusion. “It’s for the people who don’t like fast rides”

“But we like fast rides?” Zim said, confused. That afternoon they had both gone on their fair share of fast roller coasters, spinning rides, and that ride that dropped you from a ridiculous height then stopped and went back up. 

Dib gave Zim a grin, the sky had started to darken and there would be fireworks soon. “It’s the perfect seat to see the fireworks go off.” He said and Zim tilted his head, seeming vaguely aware of what those were. “They’re loud and sparkly- you’ll see.” There was a loud shrill screech and something bright shot into the air, exploding into a burst of color. Zim jumped, looking around for the source of the sound and his eyes widened at the colorful sparks. 

“The Dib-Thing was right, very sparkly,” Zim said and Dib nodded, “And what exactly is the point of these.. _ fireworks _ ?” 

Dib shrugged. “They’re pretty,” He said and Zim nodded, his eyes still on the fireworks that were being set off. “Very loud though, when I was little I hated these things” Zim cackled, looking at him, Dib rolling his eyes as Zim poked fun at his childhood fear. 

The Ferris wheel started to lower them down and they sat in silence, still watching the fireworks. Dib felt a hand over his and looked at Zim who wasn’t looking at him, his greenish skin reflecting the color of the fireworks. Dib smiled. 

___

He trudged away from home, not even bothering to look back as Gaz called to him. He was sick of his father who wouldn’t believe him and his sister who had pretty much given up in trying to show Membrane the truth. He decided to find somewhere else to go, the air and water might be poisoned but there had to be  _ somewhere _ that wasn’t affected as much by Zim. 

He walked for a long while, the moon shining on the rubble of houses and other buildings. Every once in a while he saw one of Zim’s old robots that scuttled past Dib as he walked out of his neighborhood, the only sound in the silent poisoned air being his mask as it filtered the air and the occasional wind that rustled through the dead trees. 

There was a loud bang and Dib jumped, spinning around to look behind him. There was a flash of red by an old library, it disappearing as soon as Dib spotted it. He decided to investigate, creeping towards the building as he heard someone talking to themself. Dib froze, almost everyone had died in the first phase of Zim’s plan, how was someone still alive? He turned the corner and saw a boy with curly red hair crouching on the ground, looking for something. 

“H-Hello…?” Dib said, startled by the newcomer. The boy turned, looking up at Dib. It was Keef, a former classmate of Dib’s. “Keef!? How- How are you alive?” Keef blinked, tilting his head. He smiled at Dib as if they just saw each other yesterday. 

“Dib!” He said and stood, hugging Dib. Dib stumbled, prying Keef off of him. “I didn’t think anyone else was out here- How-” Keef seemed to register Dib’s mask and bag. “Are you out here all alone?”

Dib faltered, he wanted to say he was kicked out of the home base but that wasn’t true. He left, that was his fault for getting mad. “Um- Yeah…” He said with a small smile. “I’m alone..” 

“Oh, that’s terrible! How did you get that mask? Have you seen anyone else?” Keef asked, his cheerful attitude starting to creep Dib out. “I thought everyone from our class would be dead by now…” Dib blinked as Keef's smile disappeared, the redhead seeming to realize the reality of the situation. 

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since…” Dib trailed off, gesturing around them. Keef’s smile returned, him taking Dib’s hand and leading him somewhere. Keef’s hands were so cold Dib could feel them through the gloves that he wore. “Where are we going?”

“To my home! You can stay with me since you’re all alone!” Keef said, leading him out from behind the library and down the road. “I have food and water and it’s really cozy!” Dib was a bit surprised at how welcoming Keef was, considering they now lived in a post-apocalyptic world. 

Keef had led Dib into the woods on the outskirts of town, taking him to a small hut made of branches with tarps over it. “This is where you live…?” Dib asked, wondering how in the world Keef had survived this long. 

“Yup!” Keef said, taking his shoes off and crawling inside, beckoning Dib to follow. “Come in!” Dib tilted his head at how childish it looked, a small hut in the woods made by a kit a year or so younger than him. It looked like it would fall over any second. The tarps were tired to rocks that held them down on the little home, cheap Christmas lights strung around the outside. 

Dib took his boots off and went inside. In the hut, there was a sleeping bag rolled out on the floor with an abundance of blankets and pillows. There were lanterns, flashlights, and glow-in-the-dark star stickers all over the walls and ceiling. There was a cooler in the corner and a backpack next to that, both presumably filled with snacks and drinks. 

“Wow,” Dib said, sitting down on the ground, which was covered with a tarp as well. “This is actually pretty nice…” Keef beamed at him, going to the cooler and digging around. He handed Dib a juice box and a small bag of crackers. “Oh- thank you” 

“You’re welcome!” Keef said, looking excited to have Dib around. “I’m glad you like this place, I made it myself.” Dib took off his mask, holding his breath as he sipped his juice. They only had water at the base, his father having figured out how to purify the water they still had in the house. 

“So how exactly are you alive..?” Dib asked, putting his mask back on. “The air is poisoned.” Keef blinked, drinking from his juice box.

“Zim made me into a robot that would make me see a squirrel as him so I would leave him alone,” Keef said, Dib looking a bit unnerved. “The software stopped working after the air got poisoned but I’m not dead yet so I guess it’s okay for me!” Keef smiled.

“Huh…” Dib frowned, he wondered why Keef wasn’t affected by the air. “Well it’s good that you don’t have to worry about the air, I have to wear this mask so I can breathe.” Keef nodded, his curly red hair falling into his bright green eyes. 

“Where have you been staying?” Keef asked, looking curious. “Do you know if your family is alive? Is Zim still alive?” Dib blinked at the number of questions, processing. 

“I’ve just been wandering around...I don’t stay anywhere in particular.” He lied, setting his juice box on the floor in front of him. “I’m sure my family is still alive- And I think Zim is probably still around.” Those weren’t exactly lies, Keef seemed to buy it. 

Keef nodded, “Yeah- My family is dead..” He said, his smile faltering a bit before he started drinking from his juice box again. “I was too busy chasing Zim squirrel to even know until the power of the software shut off and I saw them dead in my house...” Keef stared into space for a moment, looking sad.

“Oh…” Dib suddenly felt bad for lying, he could bring Keef back to the home base and he could stay there. But Zim was there, and Dib was sure Keef didn’t want to see him. “I’m sorry…” Keef smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay,” He said, “Now that you’re here it won’t be so lonely!” Keef looked excited, Dib almost feeling the happiness that came off of Keef. 

“Yeah…” Dib said, looking away. “I won’t be lonely either…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Keef- He was real lonely before Dib came along


	5. Nightmares

Dib stared at the screen in terror, Zim’s face on live tv as his alien friend held up a remote to the public without his disguise on. “With a single push of a button, I can destroy you, pitiful humans!” Zim said, glaring around at the crowd forming around the Voot space ship that was parked in the middle of the school parking lot. “It will pollute your air, kill your crops, and poison the water! Only a matter of time until your species dies out. But don’t fear! Zim will make it quick.” 

Dib’s eyes widened as the glass windshield displayed a video call of Zim’s leaders who smiled evilly along with Zim. Dib bolted outside, ignoring his sister who yelled after him to get back to the house. Dib ran all the way to his school, pushing through the crowd. “ZIM!” He yelled, his so-called friend looking around and they spotted each other. Zim frowned, ignoring Dib. “Zim how could you!? I thought we were friends!” Zim’s leaders looked unimpressed as Dib got to the head of the crowd.

Zim glanced at his Tallest then at Dib. “Eh- OF COURSE NOT! Zim was never friends with this human filth!” Zim said loudly, ignoring his leader's doubtful looks. “The Dib-Thing shall perish with his species!” Zim locked eyes with Dib as he pressed the button, several fog machines set up around the school as well as all around town were set off, releasing a green mist that seemed to fill the atmosphere. 

Dib took his last breath of fresh air and stared up at Zim in betrayal. Zim’s leaders seemed unimpressed still. “Is that all?” One of them asked. “Yeah! What about exploding things! We want explosions!” Zim grinned.

“Yes! You shall have your explosions, my Tallest.” Zim said and held up his remote again. “For phase two of my plan, I shall release robots that are programmed to destroy anything in their path by any means!” Zim’s leaders nodded, looking at each other. Zim pressed the button and metal spider-like robots climbed out of the Voot, their red eyes turning things to dust with their lasers. 

“Good job, Zim,” One of the leaders said, nodding and looking at the other. “Yes good job- But we have another call, so we’re leaving you there to rot on that planet!” Zim’s eyes widened and his antenne went flat on his head. 

“What..?” Zim said, shocked. “But- I’m Irk's finest Invader! You need me-” The Tallest cut Zim off. 

“You were never a good Invader Zim.” One said, the other chiming in. “Yeah! You suck” One of the Tallest munched on a donut, ignoring the racket of the humans screaming in pain as the air was poisoned and the robots destroyed them. “We never liked you, Zim. So we’re leaving you there to die.” Zim shook his head, looking frantic.

“N-No- My Tallest you can’t-” Zim was cut off again by his leaders.

“We can and we will.” One said, “Bye Zim! See you never again!” The transmission was cut and Zim dropped to his knees, looking heartbroken. 

Zim looked at Dib who still stood there a few feet away from his ship. “D-Dib-Thing- I-” Dib’s eyes were filled with tears that stung with the poisoned air, stepping away from Zim. Zim reached out to his friend but Dib ran away from the school, avoiding the spider robots. “Dib-Thing!”

___

  
  


Dib sat up with a gasp, panting as he recalled his dream. Keef stirred next to him and sat up as well, yawning. “Dib..?” Keef mumbled sleepily. “Are you okay?” 

“I-I’m fine…” Dib lied, hugging his knees as he shivered in the chilly night air. “Sorry I woke you up…” He heard Keef scoot closer to him.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Keef asked, still sounding tired. Dib nodded, everything bathed in a greenish light from the glow in the dark stickers on the ceiling of the hut. Keef put a hand on his back and looked at him worriedly. “Do you have them often?” Dib nodded again.

After Zim’s failed take over Dib had started having bad nightmares, whether it was just a relay of the events or a twisted and somehow worse version of what happened. For some reason though, he didn’t hate Zim, not even for betraying him or ruining his life. He almost felt bad for his enemy.

He didn’t hear Keef through his thoughts until the redhead shook his shoulder gently. “Dib!” Keef said again for the fifth time. Dib jumped and looked at him, “Are you alright?” Keef looked worried as Dib adjusted his gas mask, it was starting to get uncomfortable considering he wasn't used to wearing it at night. 

“S-Sorry- I’m fine, just...tired,” Dib said quietly as his teeth chattered from the cold. Keef frowned and put two other blankets over Dib, commenting on how cold Dib looked. “Thanks…”

“Of course!” Keef said and lay down. “Let’s go back to sleep and we’ll go out and do something fun tomorrow.” Dib dimly wondered how anything in the world could be fun but he simply nodded and lay back down in his sleeping bag, falling asleep as he looked up at the glow in the dark star stickers above him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't posted in a bit because I've been busy, but here's a short little chapter. The next one will be longer!
> 
> Maybe-


	6. The Return

“Diiiiib!” A cheerful voice called from above him, someone shaking him. Dib opened his eyes sleepily, a blurry-looking Keef over him. “Wake up! We’re going somewhere special today!” Dib blinked, feeling around for his glasses but Keef put them on his face. Dib frowned, a bit confused and still half asleep.

“Going somewhere?” He mumbled sleepily. “Where…?” He yawned, making sure his mask was still on correctly. 

“It’s a secret!” Keef said, shoving a granola bar in his hands and crawled out of the tent. “Up! Come on Dib!” Dib sighed and sat up, grabbing his bag and putting it on before crawling out of the tent and putting his boots on. He stood and glanced at Keef who was buzzing with excitement, already walking off into the woods yelling at Dib to catch up. Dib quickly ran after the redhead, smiling to himself. 

“So where is this secret place?” Dib asked, walking next to Keef as they wandered through the woods. “I don't have to worry about you getting us lost, do I?” He smiled, though Keff couldn’t see it. Keef grinned and shook his head.

“Of course not! I know where I’m going, silly!” Keef said and Dib nodded, fiddling with the small pocket knife that he kept with him. “Other than a few robots around, we should be fine!” Dib nodded again, looking around the forest as Keef led him through bushes and around trees. 

  
  


_____

  
  
  


_ Dib had been reading a book on his bed when his window slid open and Zim poked his head inside. “Dib-Thing!” Zim hissed, Dib looking up from his book. “Come with Zim.” Dib raised an eyebrow, putting a bookmark in his book and closing it.  _

_ “Where are we going?” Dib asked, Zim moving out of the way as Dib climbed out of his window and into a tree right next to it. “And why don’t you use a door like a normal person-” _

_ “It is a secret!” Zim said then paused. “Normal humans do not use windows?” Dib shook his head and Zim blinked, “THAT IS DUMB- Why do humans have them if they are not a point of entry???” Dib laughed, Zim crossing his arms. The Irken stomped his foot on the branch, annoyed.  _

_ “Do you use windows to get into your house?” Dib asked and Zim nodded without hesitation. Dib laughed again, climbing out of the tree. Zim followed him and grabbed his hand, tugging him in the direction of his house. “We’re going to your house?” Zim shushed him, the sun starting to go down as Zim dragged Dib to his house on the end of their street.  _

_ “It is a secret, Dib-Thing,” Zim said. “Do you not know what that means?” They reached Zim’s yard and Zim pulled Dib around his house to a ladder on the side of the strangely colored wood. Zim climbed up and gestured for Dib to do the same.  _

_ “Do  you even know what a secret is?” Dib asked with a smile and Zim rolled his eyes, “Did you just figure out what it was today?” Dib reached the top of the ladder and paused, Zim was sitting on the roof. A square of the roof was cut out, making a flat spot for the blanket and picnic basket to sit.  _

_ Zim was silent for a moment, “Surprise?” He said, questioning his actions. Dib smiled and sat across from Zim on the blanket. Zim looked at Dib then looked down, flustered as he opened the picnic basket and pulled out a sandwich wrapped in tin foil and threw it at Dib. “GIR made it so do not expect it to be good.”  _

_ “Thank you,” Dib said, catching the sandwich and standing. Zim looked up at him, watching Dib as he sat next to him. Dib watched the sunset, opening his sandwich and eating it, it surprisingly wasn’t bad. “Thank you, Zim,” He said and smiled at Zim who blinked and smiled back. _

  
  


____

  
  


“And we’re here!” Dib looked up, Keef standing in front of him, arms outstretched. “Tada~!” They were in front of a large warehouse, windows smashed and a chain on the door. The outside looked rusty and it looked old. 

“What is this place?” Dib asked, looking up at the building. He watched Keef go over to the door and played with the lock for a few moments. 

“I used to come here with a few friends after school sometimes,” Keef said, smiling. “It’s like our secret base!” Dib raised an eyebrow at how childish Keef was, watching as the chain fell from the door and the now open lock in Keef’s hand. Keef tried to open the door, his sneakers sliding in the dirt as the door didn’t budge. 

“It looks rusted shut,” Dib said, walking over to help Keef open the sliding Barnhouse-style door. The door creaked and it opened suddenly, throwing Dib and Keef off balance and both of them fell. Keef giggled, standing and helping Dib up. Dib stood and looked through the door, the inside looking similar to Keef's tent, Christmas lights strung around the place, and blankets and tarps on the floor. 

“When we found it there was glass everywhere so we put blankets and stuff on the ground,” Keef said, walking inside. Dib followed him, looking around. Keef went over to a corner, looking for something. “We put a lot of food here from before the air got poisoned” Keef dragged a giant cooler out from a hole in the ground and opened it, looking inside.

Dib peeked over his shoulder, tons of water bottles and juice boxes along with snacks. “This place is a lot bigger and has more food- Why not just live here?” He asked, looking around again. 

“Well, you know those robots that are all over the place?” Keef asked and Dib nodded. “Well, those like to come here a lot.” Dib nodded, wandering around. There were metal stairs that led to catwalks high above the floor, they were rusty but there were chairs up near the railings like people sat up there at one point. 

“Do you know what this place used to be?” Dib asked, looking back at Keef who shrugged. There was a noise from behind them where the door was. Dib turned, a small spider-like robot with red eyes staring at him. “..Keef?” Keef looked back at Dib.

“Yeah?” He said, putting the cooler back in its place and stood. Dib was silent as the spider started creeping forwards towards him. Keef spotted the robot and his smile faded, staying where he was. “Oh” 

“Is there another way out of this place?” Dib asked quietly, slowly backing away from the robot. The robot made a clicking noise, its eyes flashing. 

“Um- I think there’s a back door but we never opened it so it might be rusted shut,” Keef said, slowly walking over to Dib and staring at the robot as well. “There’s the windows but they have glass sticking out of them-” The robot suddenly lunged at them and Dib grabbed Keef's arm, dragging him toward a window. 

Dib grabbed a blanket off the floor and shoved it in Keef’s hands, “Put this wherever the glass is and get out, I’ll distract it” He said quickly, Keef nodding and running off toward the closest window. Dib ran to the middle of the warehouse, watching the robot turn toward him. There was a noise from above him and he looked up, several of the same robots up on the catwalk. 

The robot in front of him shot at him, Dib ducking out of the way and running around it toward the door. He heard the other robots scuttle down the metal stairs of the catwalk to chase after him, all of them shooting at him. “Dib!” Dib looked back and saw Keef running after him, the robots behind them. Keef caught up with him and led Dib through the forest, less of the robots following them now but he still heard them shooting at him and Keef. “What do we do?” 

Dib thought for a moment and sighed. “I lied earlier, I have somewhere we can stay for now,” Dib said, immediately regretting it as Keef agreed automatically. They got back to the main road, Dib running ahead and leading Keef toward his house. 

Behind them, three robots kept chase, the others scuttling back into the forest. The spiders shot at them still, small smoking holes left in the pavement around Dib and Keef’s feet as they ran. Dib felt the back of his leg sting, ignoring it as they neared his house. Dib got to the door and quickly opened it, grabbing Keef’s arm and dragging him inside, shutting the door quickly. There was the sounds of the robots flinging themselves at the door then there was silence. 

Keef sighed, giving a nervous laugh. “That was close,” He said, panting. Dib nodded in response, looking around the abandoned ground level of his house. Underneath them was where his father, sister, and Zim were. “Is this your house?” 

“Yeah, what’s left of it anyway,” Dib said and walked to his dad’s lab door. “Look, I lied when I said I didn’t know where my family was. They are in a base below us, my dad made it in case of an apocalypse years ago.” Keef nodded, grinning. 

“I get it, you never know who to trust especially now,” Keef said and Dib gave a nod. “Is that how you got your mask? Your dad made it?” Dib was a bit puzzled by Keef’s immediate trust and understanding but nodded. 

“Yeah,” Dib said and looked down, “Another thing, Zim is here too.” Keef froze and stared at him, alarmed. The lab door suddenly opened, Gaz standing there looking at them both. 

“Hi, Dib.” She said, sounding as unwelcoming as ever. “Brought another murderer with you?” Dib rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“He’s not a murderer, don’t be rude,” Dib said with a glare. “We only came here to get away from some of Zim’s robots. Keef stood next to Dib, looking at Gaz with curiosity. “Is Zim still here?” Gaz shook her head and Dib frowned.

“No, he’s actually out looking for you,” Gaz said and Dib looked surprised. “Dad got him a mask and his PAK is fixed so he went looking for you last night.” Gaz shrugged and glanced at Keef, “So who’s th-”

“I’m Keef!” Keef said, putting his hand out cheerfully. Gaz stared at Keef’s hand.

“You’re bleeding,” Gaz said and Keef looked down at his hand, frowning. Small bits of glass stuck out of Keef’s hand, blood dripping off his palm. 

“Can we come in?” Dib asked, Gaz looking him up and down. “Just until those spider things go away?” Gaz raised an eyebrow, looking at the both of them. 

“I don’t know,” Gaz said with a shrug and Dib frowned, annoyed. “You’re bleeding too, by the way.” Gaz turned and went back inside, the door staying open as she walked down the hall and walking into the decontamination chamber, the door sliding shut behind her. 

“Oh!” Keef said, looking at Dib’s leg, his jeans starting to soak through with blood. “You are bleeding- Are you okay??” Dib waved him off and walked through the door leading to the lab and headed to the decontamination chamber. Keef followed him, his sneakers squeaking on the floor as he caught up. The door slid open and Dib walked inside, Keef following. Through tiny holes in the wall, clean air and a bit of water sprayed at them then the door in front of them open. 

Dib took his mask off and sighed, Gaz sitting at the table that they had, playing a game on her GameBoy. Keef looked around, looking amazed. “You guys have power?” He asked, excitedly.

“Yeah, Dad has a power generator,” Gaz said, not looking up from her game. Keef nodded and smiled, exploring their small home. Dib sighed and sat down at the table, his leg stinging painfully from the spider shooting him. 

After a few moments, Keef trotted back over to Dib and sat in a chair next to him. “Question” Keef said and Dib nodded to him, “Do you have a First Aid kit?” He held out his hands that still had glass sticking out of them. 

Gaz glanced up from her video game and paused it, putting her GameBoy down and getting up from her seat. She went to the storage room and came back with a box, setting it down on the table. Keef took it and started taking care of his hand, humming some tune to himself as Gaz sat back down and played her game again. 

Behind them, the door to the decontamination chamber door slid open, Zim grumbling something to himself as he and GIR walked out. Zim paused, staring at Dib. “Dib-Thing..?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spider chase scene :)


	7. Chapter 7

Dib and Zim stared at each other for a long moment before Keef interrupted the silence, the redhead standing up and pointing at Zim. “Zim!” Keef said looking somewhat angry. Zim simply blinked at Keef, tilting his head looking confused. Keef faltered at Zim’s confused look. “It’s me! Keef!”

“Zim does not know this  _ Keef  _ “ Zim said, crossing his arms, GIR running around his boots while screaming. Keef frowned, looking at Dib who shrugged. Keef stared at Zim for a moment, GIR tugging on Zim’s hand. “What, GIR?”

GIR pointed at Keef. “He threw a party for you, mastah! I made the cake! Meeeeeee!” GIR said, pointing to himself dramatically and Keef nodded.

“And then you surgically removed my eyes so you could ‘rewire’ my brain” Keef gave a glare at Zim who still looked confused. Zim’s berry-colored eyes suddenly widened, his antennae going flat on his head. “Remember me no-”

“Dib-thing, you’re injured,” Zim said, cutting Keef off who groaned at his unrecognition. Dib looked down at his leg, his jeans soaked with blood where he had been shot. He frowned and Gaz shoved the first aid box at him, going back to her game. “Zim can help-”

“I’m fine.” Dib cut him off, both Keef and Zim starting to protest, glaring at each other like it was some competition to help. Dib sighed and stood, grabbing a bandage and heading to his room which was just a little room with a bed and a desk. The door slid shut behind him and he abandoned the bandages on his desk, sitting on his bed and staring at the floor. He heard a small argument outside but it soon ended as he heard Gaz interrupt. Dib flopped back on his bed and sighed as he stared up at the blank ceiling.

  
  


_____

  
  


_ “Zim is bored!” Zim decided, flopping beside Dib on his bed. Dib looked down at him, a laptop in front of him displaying colored strings of code that he was working on. “What is the Dib doing?” Zim looked at his computer with the slightest interest.  _

_ “Oh- It’s just some code,” Dib said, looking at his computer. “It’s interesting actually, I hacked into government files containing information on Area 51-” _

_ “BORING-” Zim yelled and Dib rolled his eyes, smiling a bit. “There is nothing to do on this filth planet!” Dib chuckled, Zim complaining for the next five minutes as Dib typed things quickly into his computer. Zim eventually stopped complaining and watched Dib type.  _

_ Dib glanced at him, “You want to watch a movie or something?” Dib asked and Zim shook his head, still watching Dib’s fingers clicking on the keyboard. “Do you want to-” _

_ “The Dib types fast,” Zim said, cutting him off. Dib blinked, wondering if that was a complaint or just an observation.  _

_ “Thank you?” Dib said with a puzzled expression.  _

_ “The Dib is most welcome,” Zim said and smiled, sitting up and watching Dib. “What exactly is the Dib doing again?” Dib gave a grin, knowing Zim wouldn’t pay attention if he were to explain. _

_ “Basically I’m hacking into the government for information,” Dib said and Zim gave a nod, his lavender-colored contacts reflecting the code from Dib’s laptop screen. “I’m surprised you haven’t done that, raid the government for information and corrupt it from the inside out.” _

_ “Not a terrible idea, Dib-thing,” Zim said and Dib smiled, rolling his eyes. “Hand over the laptop, Dib.” Dib’s smile faltered as Zim held out his hand.  _

_ “Wait- I was joking, Zim-” Dib said, Zim taking the laptop from him. “Zim- You promised-” Zim smiled widely and Dib looked at him with wide eyes. Zim held the computer above his head as Dib tried to reach for it, starting to chuckle at Dib’s pathetic attempt to get it back.  _

_ “Pathetic,” Zim said and simply gave the laptop back, Dib looking like he was having a mental breakdown. “Zim was’ joking’.” He said it like he didn’t exactly know what it meant.  _

_ “You have a terrifying sense of humor,” Dib said with a frown, going back to what he was doing and promptly ignoring Zim. After a few moments of silence, Dib glanced at Zim, who was still watching him. “You wouldn’t really corrupt the government, right?”  _

_ “Of course not,” Zim said with a grin. “Unless the Dib unexpectedly dies of some Earthly disease, Zim will not conquer this planet.” Dib gave a smile and nodded.  _

_ “Thanks, I think,” Dib said. _

_ “You are welcome, Dib-thing.” _

  
  


_____

  
  


Dib stirred awake, having fallen asleep on his bed in an uncomfortable ball. A strip of light from the half-open door fell across his room, blinding Dib for a moment until his eyes got used to it. Zim stood in the door, watching Dib. 

“Hello..?” Dib called sleepily and the door slid shut again. Dib sighed and got up, wincing as his leg burned with pain. He hissed as the door opened again, Zim looking surprised to see Dib standing near the door. “ _ What, _ Zim.” 

Zim was in his disguise now, Dib hearing his Dad talking to Keef in the background. “Zim wanted to... _ check _ on the Dib-thing,” Zim said quietly, shifting uncomfortably. Dib looked at him, Zim looking just like he did all the times he and Zim had hung out before the apocalypse. “Is the Dib..okay..?” Zim looked uncertain as he looked at Dib’s leg.

“I’m fine.” Dib snapped and Zim flinched slightly. There was a moment of silence and Dib sighed. “Sorry- I just….I’m fine, Zim.” Dib looked down.

“You are injured, Dib-thing,” Zim said, Dib slightly surprised at how gentle Zim sounded. “Your pant leg is soaked in blood.” Dib glanced down at his leg and the red of his blood made his jeans look purple in the darkness of his room. Zim glanced past him and saw the unused bandage on the clean desk behind him. 

“I’ll be fine,” Dib said quietly.

“Do not lie” 

Dib went silent, frowning. “I don’t think you should be the one telling me that,” Dib said with a glare at Zim. Zim looked down, guilt on his face. Dib backed up, intending to shut the door in Zim’s face but hissed in pain as his injured leg stung badly. 

“Dib,” Zim said quietly, hesitating for a moment before stepping into the room. Dib tensed as Zim walked into the room, wincing in pain. “Zim is- ...I’m sorry...for what I did...What can Zim do to make Dib forgive him?” Dib was silent, staring at the floor. The silence was broken by a conversation in the main room but both of them ignored it, GIR screaming something about tacos and toothpaste in the background. 

Leave me alone.” Dib said finally. 

Zim started to protest, “Dib, I-”

“Go away, Zim” Dib looked up at Zim, he looked sad and betrayed. “Just leave me alone” Zim was silent, then nodded, backing out of the room. Zim looked at Dib one last time, then the door slid shut, leaving Dib in the darkness of his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no forgiving the cause of the world ending, or is there?


	8. A Mission

Dib jolted awake again, not even aware that he had been sleeping until someone knocked on his door. “Dib?” He heard Keef say from the other side of the door. Dib tried to stand but his leg completely gave out and he fell to the floor, his leg stinging painfully from Dib’s neglect to take care of it. The door slid open a bit, Keef’s bright green eyes widening slightly as he saw Dib on the floor. “Dib!” Keef slid the door open more and rushed over to Dib crouching down and looking at him. 

“Hi Keef-” Dib said, wincing as he sat up. Keef looked worried, standing and putting his hand out to help Dib up. “Thanks” Dib stood unsteadily, Keef watching him with increasing worry. 

“Dib, are you alright?” Keef asked, squeezing Dib’s hand gently. “You can tell me- I can help with your leg if you want” Keef glanced down at Dib’s leg worriedly. Dib gave a small nod, looking down. He had never really asked anyone for help with anything before, it was odd accepting Keef’s help with his injury. Keef gave a small smile and softly told him to go sit down, leaving to go grab more first aid supplies. 

Keef came back and had helped him clean his wound and bandage it, Keef talking to him to distract Dib but it didn’t work very well. “And so I said-”

“Keef,” Dib said, Keef halfway through the third story about his time at Skool. “Please be quiet-” Keef gave Dib a lopsided grin and nodded, bandaging Dib’s leg and stabbing.

“And done!” Keef said and Dib sighed.

“Thanks,” Dib said and jumped as the door slid open more and Zim peeked inside. Keef squeaked and turned, forcing a smile when he saw Zim. 

“Hi Zim,” Keef said and Zim ignored him, glancing at Dib. 

“Hello…” Zim said and looked down, fiddling with the hem of the Invader uniform that he still wore. “The Dib’s parental unit requires to see him.” Dib frowned, sighing. 

“Okay, thanks,” Dib said, Zim looking up at Dib then shuffling out of the room. Keef and Dib looked at each other, Keef shrugging and helping Dib up. Keef left and Dib closed the door, quickly changing into clothes that weren’t stained with blood. He slid the door open and walked out, his father waiting at the table. 

“Dib,” His father said. “Keef has told me about the robots that roam the town and I would like to get one so we may deactivate them all.” Dib gave a nod, glancing at Zim.

“You don’t have a universal off switch for those things?” Dib asked.

Zim shook his head, looking down. “I do not, it was in the Voot and…” He glanced at Dib’s father. “...I don’t know.” Dib was silent, turning away from Zim and looking at his father. 

“You want me to go get one?” He asked, bitterness in his voice as he spoke to his father. Membrane nodded and Dib sighed, walking over to the hook on the wall by the door where his mask was. “Fine, see you guys later then.” Dib shoved his mask on and the decontamination chamber door slid open.

“Wait,” Membrane said, his son pausing in the door. “Zim, go with him,” Dib growled and left, the door sliding shut behind him. Zim glanced at Keef who immediately went after Dib, the door sliding open and Zim following him.

____

_ Dib sat on Zim’s roof, staring at the sky. Stars shined down at him, it was eerily silent around him. “Dib-Thing!” He perked up as he heard Zim and stood, peeking over the side of the roof. Zim stood in his backyard, staring up at Dib with his arms crossed. “What are you doing on Zim’s roof?”  _

_ Dib was silent for a moment, “I couldn’t sleep…” Dib said, Zim tilting his head curiously. Zim uncrossed his arms and climbed up the ladder, Dib moving out of the way and sitting back down. “Hi..”  _

_ “Why couldn’t the Dib complete the sleep ritual?” Zim asked, sitting next to him.  _

_ “My dad and I had another fight” Dib murmured, looking up at the stars again. Dib glanced at Zim, biting his lip nervously. “Could I- um stay here tonight..?” Zim looked at him and blinked.  _

_ “Of course, Dib-Thing,” Zim said and smiled slightly.  _

____

Dib was in Keef’s tent, curled up next to the cooler and a pile of blankets. His leg had given him trouble the whole walk, he attempted to walk to the warehouse to lure the robots back to the home base but he had only gotten so far as to Keef’s tent. He heard Keef and Zim calling his name, looking for him but he stayed silent, watching for spider robots around the tent and waiting for his leg to stop hurting so he could continue. 

“Di- oh” Keef poked his head into the tent and saw Dib. He smiled and tilted his head, “Are you-”

“Dib-Thing!” Zim practically shoved Keef out of the way and looked Dib up and down to make sure he wasn’t hurt. “Why did the Dib run off like that!? His parental unit said Zim would come with him.” Zim frowned at Dib who glared at him. 

“Maybe I didn’t want to come with you.”

“Maybe you don’t have that choice-”

“Maybe!” Keef said, cutting off their argument. “You two shouldn’t fight over this!” Keef spread his arms out in exasperation and annoyance. Zim sighed dramatically and crossed his arms, glaring at Dib for a moment before looking away again. Keef looked at Dib, “Do you need help getting up?” 

“I’m fine,” Dib said and pushed himself up and got out of the tent, careful of his leg. Zim glanced at him and looked back down. “Let’s get to the warehouse and try to find one of those robots, see if they went back there.” 

“What about the lasers?” Keef said. “You’ve already gotten shot and you probably can’t run if they chase us again.” Keef looked at Zim, queuing him for any ideas or information on the robots. 

“Zim made them almost indestructible,” Zim said, not exactly providing any help at all. “We’ll need to restrain it, Zim can unwire it if he can get close enough.” Dib looked at him.

“And if that doesn't work? Or if you get hurt?” Dib said and Zim frowned.

“You underestimate me.”

“I doubt that-”

“Shut up and stop fighting!” Keef said and both of them looked at the redhead. “We will try Zim’s plan, if anything goes wrong then we call it off immediately and run. Got it?” 

“Got it.” Both Zim and Dib said at the same time then glared at each other. 

“Good, now let’s go,” Keef said, leading them off into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not feeling great today, sorry if this chapter is a bit off.


	9. Wall Climbers

_ “Come on!” Dib whined impatiently as Zim lagged behind, grumbling something about how stupid Earth forests were. “You’re so slow!” _

_ “You’re so-” Zim grumbled a string of different insults in both English and Irken, none of them too pleasant. “Can’t the Dib go slower!?”  _

_ “Nope!” Dib said and started sprinting off farther into the woods, laughing as Zim groaned and ran after him. At one point, Zim had gone up on his PAK legs and ran ahead of Dib just to spite him. “Hey! Cheater!”  _

_ “Not cheating!” Zim called back, his legs going back into his PAK when he was far ahead of Dib. “Come onnnnnnnnnn Dib-Thingggggg you are too slowwwwww”  _

_ “That is not what I sound like!” Dib said catching up with Zim. “And you don’t even know where we’re going, stop running ahead!” Zim cackled and let Dib lead him through the trees. They got to a clearing and Dib sat in the grass, patting a spot next to him for Zim to sit. Zim sat next to him, the both of them panting a bit from running around into the woods.  _

_ “What are w-” _

_ “Shhhh” Dib shushed Zim, looking up at. They sat in silence until the stars started coming out, Dib smiling as streaks of light crossed the dark sky. _

_ “Meteors?” Zim said curiously, tilting his head. Dib hummed and nodded, watching the sky. “They are rare here?” Dib nodded. They watched for a while until the meteors started to lessen, Dib standing and stretching.  _

_ “We should go, my dad would kill me if I was out any longer and we have school tomorrow,” Dib said but Zim grabbed his hand and pulled him back down to the grass. “Wha-” _

_ “We should stay, it is still going and it is rare here,” Zim said, eyes glued to the sky. Zim leaned his head on Dib’s shoulder slightly, still sitting there even after the meteor shower was over. They stayed like that until Dib yawned and Zim got up, urging Dib up so he could go home and sleep.  _

  
  


_____

  
  


When they got to the warehouse, it looked the same as the last time he and Keef had gone. There were no spiders as they wandered inside, Zim looking around curiously while Keef and Dib looked around for any traces of the spiders. 

“And why have we come here?” Zim asked, Keef and Dib looking at each other. 

“This is where Dib and I got attacked by those spider bots,” Keef said and Zim simply nodded. “How many of those things did you even make?” 

“A lot,” Zim said, peering out one of the many smashed windows. 

Dib sat down on one of the chairs at a table that was near the cooler Keef had dug into the ground, catching Zim’s eye as the Irken glanced at him. Dib looked down and sighed quietly, listening for any spider bots that might pop out of nowhere.

“Dib” Keef called from the door of the warehouse and Dib stood, walking over to Keef who was looking out into the woods. Keef simply pointed to one of the trees, near the trunk was a broken mangled mess of black metal and wires sparking. “Look”

“What is that?” Dib asked quietly, looking at it curiously. 

“Broken bot,” Zim said, suddenly right next to them, Keef and Dib yelping in surprise and Dib leaned away from Zim. “Zim will go fetch it” Zim started to walk out of the warehouse but Keef grabbed onto his wrist. 

“What if it’s still active and it attacks you?” 

“You underestimate Zim. Zim can defend himself.” Zim pulled his arm away from Keef and walked towards the broken spider bot, his arms crossed. Zim crouched down to the bot and poked at it, the spider twitching but otherwise not attacking. Zim scooped it up and walked back over to them. “Zim can fix it and then we may return to the Dib’s dwelling without any more unnecessary injuries.” 

“Wait,” Dib said, peering at the robot. “I thought you said they were indestructible, what broke it?” Zim frowned and looked down at the robot and shrugged, walking over to the table near the cooler and starting to fix the robot with various tools that he pulled from his PAK. 

“I will never get used to that,” Keef muttered, watching Zim use his PAK freely. “He’s really an alien...and you were right” Keef glanced at DIb who rolled his eyes.   
“No one believed me, and I was right,” Dib said with a shrug, “It’s no big deal” Keef frowned, looking between Zim working on the bot and Dib. 

“You were friends with him right before…” Keef gestured around vaguely, Dib nodded. “Why were you friends with him though? He’s so…” Keef paused, looking for the right word.

“Self-centered? Arrogant?” Dib suggested and Keef nodded. “I guess it was better than fighting with him…” Dib was silent for a moment then shrugged. Keef gave a small nod and a smile. There was a whirring noise and Dib jumped, looking at Zim who somehow had a power saw with him and was doing something to the robot. The whirring noise stopped and Zim turned towards them, tilting his head.

“Zim can hear you,” Zim said, frowning. “And he is not ‘self-centered’.” 

“I’d beg to differ,” Dib said.

“Then beg,” Zim said, looking totally serious.

“Oooooookay-” Keef said, cutting off the fight that was going to start. “Let’s not say stuff like that- Are you done with the robot, Zim?” Zim gave a short nod, the spider robot standing on the table, looking at them.

“He will not attack us but it should be sufficient enough for the Dib’s parental unit to study,” Zim said, the spider bot hopping off the table and following Zim as the Irken walked out of the warehouse. Keef followed, looking back at Dib as he stayed by the door. 

“Dib?” Keef called to Dib who was still in the warehouse. Dib suddenly turned, running to Keef and Zim. “What’s wro-”

“Go-” Dib said, pushing at Keef’s shoulder. “Let’s get back to the house- quickly” Dib glanced behind him back at the warehouse. Keef followed his gaze and saw a few spiders starting to follow them from the warehouse. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me-” Keef muttered and started to run, “Let’s go!” Zim looked at him, confused but looked back and started running too, scooping up his spider bot and sprinting after Keef. Dib followed them, ignoring the pain in his leg as he ran after Zim and Keef. 

The spiders seemed a lot slower than the last time but followed them out of the woods, chasing them to Dib’s street then stopping. Dib panted, glancing at Keef and Zim as they stood by the door. “It seems they have developed a sense of territorial instincts” Zim muttered, watching the other spiders as they scuttled back to the forest. “Perhaps they tore apart this one because it wandered into their territory.”

“Makes sense-” Keef said, breathing heavily from their run. “They attack each other if they’re in each other’s territory- maybe we could recruit a bunch of broken ones and make an army.” 

“Why though?” Dib asked and Keef shrugged. “Fair enough-”

“We could use them to protect this area so it’ll be safe from the other spiders, they’ve followed us here before,” Keef said and Dib nodded, watching Zim go inside and head to the decontamination chamber. Keef glanced at Dib, “Is your leg okay? It was kind of dumb for your dad to send you out here while you’re injured..”

“I’m fine, this happens pretty often” Dib muttered and went inside, Keef following. “He’ll make Gaz go do something tomorrow anyway so I can just hang out then.” Keef hummed and followed Dib into the decontamination chamber, the door sliding open when the machine was done and they stepped out. They glanced at each other as they walked into the room, watching GIR try to fight the spider who just held a pointed leg at GIR’s chest, the SIR unit running at the spider but getting nowhere. 

Zim watched his robots, unamused as he picked GIR up, the SIR unit’s lights turning from red to blue in an instant. “GIR, don’t fight with The Wall Climber,” Zim said and Dib laughed.

“That’s what you named them?” Dib asked and Zim nodded.

“Of course! They were designed after those disgusting arachnids you humans have.” Zim said and Dib laughed again, Keef grinning next to him. “Do not laugh at Zim’s genius!” Zim stamped his boot on the ground angrily, GIR screaming with joy as Zim set the SIR unit down. 

The Wall Climber scuttled away from GIR as the SIR unit ran after it, staying true to its name and climbing up the wall and into a corner as GIR jumped up at it. Zim watched and sighed, shaking his head and tapping his foot impatiently. Dib’s father emerged from his lab a few moments later, Gaz following behind him and flopping down on the couch and ignoring Zim, Dib, and Keef. 

“Welcome home!” Professor Membrane said and paused when he saw the spider in the corner of his ceiling. “I assume that is the robot you kids caught.” Zim gave a nod and picked GIR up again who was in his little green doggie suit. Membrane walked to the corner and reached up, grabbing the spider and heading back to the lab. “Thank you, kids, I will be in my lab if you need me!” Membrane shut the door to his lab and Dib sighed. 

“Dib-Thing” Zim said and Dib looked up, Zim frowning at him. “You are bleeding again.” Dib looked down and sighed again, the bandage that he had on was soaked through with blood again. Zim put GIR down and took a step toward Dib in an attempt to help but Dib stepped back, almost tripping. 

“I’m fine,” Dib said and Zim growled, annoyed.

“No, you are not,” Zim said, crossing his arms as GIR ran around him. “Don’t lie-”

“Oh don’t lie like you did!?” Dib snapped and Zim blinked. Zim looked angry for a moment but seemed to quickly calm down. 

“Look- Zim- I...I was only doing what my Tallest told me to.” Zim said, looking down. “I...I didn’t want to but they said if I didn’t then they would decode my PAK…” 

“That would..kill you?” Keef asked quietly and Zim gave a short nod, looking down. “Oh...I’m sorry…” Zim looked up quickly. 

“Do not apologize.” He said and Keef blinked. Zim looked at Dib, almost pleadingly. “Can the Dib forgive Zim?” 

Dib looked down, giving a small sigh. “...Yeah,” He said quietly, shifting off his injured leg. 

“Thank you, Dib-Thing.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second Spider bot chase of the story :)


End file.
